The Dark Secret of Harry Potter
by gotimtim
Summary: This is a short story. Set in the HP universe. Its a dark story. The time setting is just before sixth year. It's a hurt/comfort piece. Be warned it does deal with themes of abuse. Hence the rating.


**Disclaimer- Harry Potter and all associated characters, locations, terms, etc are property of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros, and other copyright holders. This story is told for entertainment purposes only. The author makes no profit from publishing it.**

**A/N- Just a kind of a dark one shot story to help work through some personal stuff. Sometimes writing a little story helps. If you like it; great. If not; no worries. Either way- Thanks for Reading. This is not canon, nor is it meant to follow canon. Think of it as a little side story of something one might have seen in one of the books/films . **

**The Dark Secret of Harry Potter**

Ron Weasley was lying bed one night having trouble sleeping. He had a lot on his mind. He and Hermione had been arguing and while Ron knew she was right, his pride wouldn't let him admit it. Not yet anyway.

Harry had been steadfastly neutral on this issue of House Elves and their rights. This also irritated Ron for some reason that he couldn't readily identify. Maybe it was because Harry was caught in the middle of the argument. Again. He knew that really all Harry wanted was to keep the peace between his two best friends, but still, as his best mate, Ron was hoping for a little more support from his friend.

A noise from the green camp-cot next to Ron's bed startled him out of his thoughts. Harry was dreaming. The old, care worn blankets that he used were getting tied up into knots and his pillow was being molded by his sleeping hands like clay.

At first Ron thought that this might be one of those horrible dreams where Harry was going to "see" into You-Know-Who's mind. Watching and listening when Harry did this was nothing short of creepy. Ron knew that Harry truly hated having these dreams and he felt bad about that. Except that it was the same kind of dream that had allowed Harry to see what was happening when Ron's dad was being attacked by You-Know-Who's snake. Harry had saved his life that night and Ron was still feeling deeply affected by how close things had turned out in that event.

As he lie there listening for a few moments, it was clear that Harry's dream was really becoming more and more involved. He was starting to toss and turn which usually foreshadowed the talking. Ron especially hated it when the talking happened. It wasn't Harry's voice that spoke; it was You-Know-Who speaking. And that was bloody scary.

He rolled over to watch his friend and wake him up if that was needed. Then a sound made him jump. His door was opening. Ron quickly closed his eyes, thinking that it was his mother coming to check on them.

Harry was still tossing and turning and he was becoming more and more animated about it. His pajamas were getting bunched up and his blankets were being kicked towards the bottom of the bed. As he listened to the sound of his friend moving around, it struck Ron that he didn't hear the sound of his door closing. She must be watching him, Ron thought.

Chancing a peek, Ron let his eyes open a little. That was when the first surprise of that night struck him. It wasn't his mother standing there watching Harry toss around in his sleep. It was Ginny!

Ron knew that Ginny had harbored a crush on Harry for the longest time. This was one big reason why it bothered him so much when she dated other boys. If she liked Harry, why mess around? On the other hand, Ron wasn't sure how he felt about his best mate dating his sister.

Harry was and always had been nice to Ginny. He would sometimes listen to her and hear what she had to say. He was also the one who rescued her from the Chamber of Secrets and You-Know-Who himself in the process. Ron hadn't forgotten about that. But Ginny was his sister!

He watched her as she watched Harry. She was just standing there in her pink night gown and her old, frayed home made bathrobe, quietly looking at him as he slept. Who is she kidding? Ron thought. She still likes him. She can date whoever she wants, but she's not doing anyone any favors if she still likes Harry enough to come watch him sleep in the dead of night. He wondered what Harry would think or say about it if he knew.

Ginny must have seen Ron's eyes open. She turned to look at him. Ron looked back at her but didn't say anything. Just as she was turning to leave, Harry's voice called out from his sleep;

"No, please don't,"

Ginny froze in place, one hand reaching out for the door and her eyes trained on Harry. His movements were becoming more agitated now. His blankets were now hanging off the foot of the bed and his pajama top had pulled up in the thrashing about revealing a series of scars on Harry's back that Ron had never noticed before. The light of the moon shining through his bedroom window was making the scars stand out in contrast to his skin.

Ron turned back to look at his friend more closely. Harry's face was starting to sweat. His breathing was picking up speed. This was no ordinary dream. This was becoming a nightmare and it seemed like a bad one at that.

"Is he okay?" Ginny whispered.

She moved over to Ron's bed and sat down on it to watch Harry as he was dreaming.

"He'll be fine. He does this kind of thing a lot. You kind of get used to it," Ron reassured her with a confidence he wasn't sure he really felt at the moment.

Funny, right now he didn't mind that she was in his room. Usually he'd be barking at her to get out. Maybe it was because deep down inside, they were both concerned about their friend.

"Ginny!" Whispered a voice from the hall. It was Hermione.

Ron's door opened again and there she was. Ron's eyes drank her in as she stepped into his room, dressed only in her light blue silk pajamas and heavy, black bath robe. If only he could...but she would never want to date him. Ron was too poor, too unsophisticated for the likes of Hermione. But still, sometimes, just sometimes, he got the feeling that maybe these things didn't matter to her. Maybe one of these days he could work up the courage too...

"Please, no!" Harry cried in his sleep.

All thoughts of Hermione and someday dating her stopped. This wasn't some ordinary dream. It wasn't even an ordinary nightmare. The voice that Harry had cried out in wasn't the voice of a young man. It sounded almost like the voice of a child.

"I'm sorry, please don't!" Harry cried again.

Ron's blood ran cold. Chills ran up and down his spine. He looked over at Ginny and Hermione to see their eyes were wide open and their faces a mix of surprise and concern. Still Harry dreamed on.

"Please! I didn't mean to do that! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Harry cried in his sleep. He was curling up into a ball now.

The room was dead silent as Harry's friends watched him endure the nightmare. None of them thought to wake him. If the truth were to be told one reason was that none of them were sure they wanted to witness Harry remembering this dream.

"Uncle Vernon, Please! I'm sorry!" Harry cried now in a tiny voice.

If Ron's blood was cold before, it was ice now. He felt like he was going to be sick. Harry wasn't dreaming about You-Know-Who. He was dreaming about his relatives. It sounded like he was being punished for something. In that moment, Ron was supremely grateful for the parents he had. He may have gotten in trouble from time to time. His mom may yell a bit and his dad might even have swatted his bottom once or twice when he'd done something particularly stupid. But it was nothing compared to what it sounded like Harry had gone through.

At that moment his mother, dressed in her own old, ratty, well used, night-dress came into the room. She wasn't as quiet as the others when she whispered very loudly,

"What are you doing? Do you realize what time it is?"

Before she could go on, she froze in middle of taking in a breath. Harry was crying out again and what he said really did make Ron feel very sick.

"Please, Uncle Vernon, not the belt! I won't burn the bacon ever again, I promise!"

Mrs. Weasley's eyes opened in horror as she fully realized what was going on and what it was she was hearing. Her mouth was still open and in shock she didn't close it. Everyone stood there and stared as Harry in his sleep, re-lived being punished for some transgression he had mad. The punishment must have been administered by his Uncle.

Ron sat up in his bed as his mother sat down next to Ginny. Hermione came and stood at the foot of their beds. They all watched in silent terror at the torment that Harry was enduring in his sleep.

Suddenly his back arched and he cried out in pain. It was clear that in his dreams he was being beaten. He cried out again and again and again. When Ron blinked finally, he felt a constriction in his throat. His face felt cool and he realized that he was crying. Nervously he looked over at Hermione and noticed that she too had tears freely flowing down her pretty cheeks.

He looked at his mother and sister and found them to be crying too. Even Ginny, who rarely if ever cried over anything, had one hand to her mouth and tears flowing like little streams of water. There wasn't a person in the room who wasn't deeply affected by the things that they were seeing.

In that moment Ron's irritation with Harry was gone; swept away. It was replaced with both pity and admiration. Pity that not only did Harry have to someday face You-Know-Who again but that his best friend had really had absolutely no family life outside of Hogwarts and Ron's home. The admiration came from the fact that even though he had been through so much, and still had so much yet to go through in front of him, Harry was still able to see past that and be a friend to Hermione, Ron, and his family.

"I wonder if Professor Dumbledore knows about any of this," Hermione whispered.

Before anyone could answer, Harry's cries of pain became great, racking sobs. He was curled into a tight little ball at the foot of his bed, shivering and sobbing in his sleep. Ginny, who was unable to bare anymore, reached out tentatively to stroke Harry's hair. Her hand was shaking and it was clear that she felt very nervous. Still, the act of kindness seemed to be enough to stir the others into action.

"I'll write him in the morning," Mrs. Weasley said standing up.

She moved over to Harry's bed and pulled his sleeping, sobbing form into her lap. There she started cooing and murmuring to him as she stoked his head and rubbed his back. Ron had the distinct impression that while this was something his mother had done many times for her children at one point or another, it would be a first for Harry.

Ginny was trying to help her mother comfort Harry. She too kept rubbing his back and arms. Hermione moved into the seat Ginny had vacated and rested her head on Ron's shoulder.

Ron, hesitantly, put his arm around her and together the two of them watched as Ginny and Ron's mum were able to slowly, quietly, help Harry calm down. They remained like this for some time.

When Harry was soundly sleeping again, Ron watched as his mother and sister helped him back into a more comfortable sleeping position. In all the dreaming, moving, and jostling around it was only by sheer luck that Harry didn't once wake up.

Once they were satisfied that he was comfortable and sleeping soundly, the two Weasley women left the room. Ginny stopped long enough to turn back, and after checking to see that her mother was gone, she leaned over and quickly but tenderly kissed the back of his head. She gave Hermione and Ron and embarrassed look as she left the room.

"That was..." Hermione faltered.

"Horrible!" Ron breathed, "I never knew,"

"I don't think anyone did. Harry was always pretty free with letting people know that he and his relatives didn't like each other. I don't think anyone thought to ask him any more about it,"

"I know Mum doesn't like them," Ron said, as he looked at Hermione. She hadn't shrugged off his arm. Ron felt a little guilty enjoying that fact after everything he had just seen.

"I'm not surprised,"

"Dad doesn't like them either, but they don't ever say anything about it when Harry's here. They're all the family he has," Ron went on.

"That isn't much of a family, is it?" Hermione said, standing up.

Ron was a little hurt that she stood up the way she did, but didn't say anything. He just would have liked to hold on to Hermione a little while longer. It felt so good and the fact that she didn't seem to mind felt even better. His hopes were somewhat dashed when he saw her lean forward and kiss the back of Harry's head like Ginny had. Did that mean she liked Harry too? Or was she just feeling sorry for him.

"Poor bloke," Ron sighed, his thoughts turning back to his friend.

Turning around to look at Ron, Hermione nodded and sighed. "He's so lucky you two are friends. Your family is so good to him,"

Ron nodded. Hermione looked like she was going to say more but instead she blushed and left the room. She gave Ron shy smile and wave as she shut his door behind her. Lying back down on his bed, Ron turned to stare at Harry for awhile. Sleep was a long time in coming.

The next morning almost everyone got up late.

Mrs. Weasley had gone to bed to wake Mr. Weasley and tell him what she'd just witnessed. They had stayed up long into the night talking about Harry, his relatives, his future and what options they felt that they had. Mr. Weasley had promised his wife that he would be sending an urgent owl to Dumbledore that very morning.

Ginny came downstairs with Hermione right behind her. Neither one of them had gotten much sleep. They had stayed up talking as well. Harry and his dream was the primary topic of their conversations but Ron would have been surprised to know how often his name came up as well. It was a time of bonding when two young women of similar age confided in each other some of their deepest secrets knowing that the other one would understand. When sleep finally did find them, neither one of them slept very well.

Ron was the last to come downstairs. He was yawning and stretching as he walked down the last few steps and turned into the kitchen. His night was just as long as the others were. He had stayed awake long after the others had left. Thoughts of Harry, his sister, his family, and Hermione rolling around through his mind.

As tired as he was, Ron noticed two things. The first was that everyone, not just himself, seemed to be not only tired, but very quiet. He knew from looking at the clock his mother had that his dad was at work.

Looking over at his mother, Ron noticed that she seemed very tired and withdrawn. While she was wearing a clean housedress, it seemed as if it wasn't put on with quite as much care. Her motions seemed a little more frivolous. While breakfast was all laid out on the table, it wasn't done as neatly as it normally would have been.

When he turned to study Hermione and Ginny, Ron noted that they too seemed to be a little more tired than usual. Their clothes looked like they had been put on hastily and Hermione even had an uncharacteristic stain of ketchup on her shirt. It was a small one, barely even noticeable But it was still there. He knew that sooner or later Hermione would find out it was there and take care of it.

Ron sat down at the table and yawned again. He scratched his shoulder absently but stopped when his mother asked him tenderly; "Is Harry still sleeping?"

He froze. Harry's bed upstairs was empty. His blankets were rumpled and casually thrown back over his bed. Ron had figured he'd find his friend down here eating breakfast. After the night he'd had and that awful, horrible dream, he reckoned that Harry would be really hungry. Ron was and he'd just observed the dream, not lived it.

"No, he's not in his bed, I thought he was down here," Ron replied as he helped himself to some eggs and sausages. The bacon rashers were sitting untouched in a pile on the table.

"If he's not upstairs, where is he?" Hermione asked with a note of alarm.

Ginny's head snapped up as Mrs. Weasley turned around to look at Ron, waiting for him to answer Hermione's question.

"I don't know where he is," Ron answered, feeling a little defensive.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and started looking around. Ginny, who had stopped by the window in the kitchen for some reason, called out; "There he is!"

They all piled into the kitchen to see where Ginny was pointing. Harry was standing way off at one end of the yard, near the pond. He was dressed, but didn't have a jacket on. His arms were wrapped around himself against the chill morning air. From this distance he looked rather small and defenseless.

No one moved for several minutes. Finally, Ginny turned around and left the kitchen. She was back a moment later with the afghan from off the back of the couch. She held it draped over one arm as she marched out of the house and took it out into the yard.

Ron, Hermione, and Mrs. Weasley looked on as Ginny approached Harry, and cautiously and gently draped the afghan over his shoulders.

"He looks like he's feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders," Mrs. Weasley observed.

Studying Harry for a minute, Ron wasn't sure if he could see what his mother was talking about. What he did see was Ginny as she stood there next to Harry. They stayed like that for sometime before she tentatively reached out and touched his shoulder. While no one heard what she was saying, it must have been something pleasant. Harry smiled and turned around. Together he and Ginny walked back towards the house.

When they entered the kitchen, everyone sat back down at the table to eat. The breakfast was a quiet one. Harry seemed quiet and withdrawn. He didn't immediately serve himself anything from the things in front of him.

"Harry?" Ron heard his mother ask kindly.

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley?" Harry said looking up. He looked more than tired. Harry looked like he was exhausted. He looked like he had a lot on his mind.

"Aren't you hungry, dear?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Harry said helping himself to the bowl of scrambled eggs, the plates of ham and sausage, and a piece of toast.

Ron watched his friend look at the bacon on the serving plate and then pass it over, shuddering slightly. He looked up to see his mother's eyes tighten and watch as Hermione and Ginny exchanged a look.

Oblivious to this, Harry politely waited for everyone else to serve themselves before he started eating.

The conversation that morning was kept light and casual. They still had a few weeks to go before school was to begin, but for now they had the rest of the summer to relax and rest.

When breakfast was over, Ron and Harry cleared the table. They worked together in silence. When Harry reached out to take the plate of bacon, he stopped in mid reach. The platter was still full. Not a single rasher was missing.

Ron heard Harry sigh heavily as he picked up the plate, covered it with a towel, and then set it in the cold cupboard. As he watched Harry do this, Ron realized that it would be a long time before either of them would have any bacon again.


End file.
